SILVIS – Peter Kuest shot a modest 4-under par 67 in Friday morning’s second round of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.
“We're feeling good,” he said after his second consecutive 67. “Just one step at a time. We're in a good spot for the weekend, so we'll go make some noise.”
Despite the immense ramifications of Friday’s round in the big picture, he remained stoic and subdued regarding his Top 10 position in the tournament and his bright future.
In a way, the California native hit his own personal jackpot while playing in this week’s $7.4 million event.
With his second solid round and continuation of strong play the last few weeks, Kuest achieved a major career milestone by making the 36-hole cut of the tournament. With the chance to play on the weekend, he all but guaranteed himself enough FedExCup points to secure Special Temporary Membership on the PGA Tour.
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And that's huge as it sets him up to earn unlimited sponsor exemptions for the rest of the season and, because of the Tour schedule changing, can use that status through the end of the calendar year as well, according to PGA Tour media officials on site.
But instead of acting as if he had just won one of this weekend's growing lottery jackpots, he sounded like many pro golfers after a decent round of golf.
His reaction was not what many expected when asked what making the cut means as it all but secured Tour status.
“Not really because at the end of the day it's just golf,” he said in a monotone delivery in front of a few gathered media members. “We're just trying to play our best and go from there. So we'll go get a little lunch and get a little practice in and teeing it up tomorrow and see what we can do.”
I guess there’s something to being able to keep your emotions in check. Maybe the accomplishment was a bit subdued because of the fact his father wasn’t here to share in the joy; Peter Sr., passed away of heart issues last year.
When asked if he thought about securing the points needed to keep playing privileges, he barely cracked a smile.
“No, not at all,” he said. “That will come when you play well, so we'll just look forward to playing well.”
That, the 25-year-old has been doing of late.
Last week, he survived Monday qualifying to earn a spot in the Rocket Mortgage Classic field in Detroit as he made it through a 4-for-3 playoff. He parlayed that into a tie for fourth, which in turn got him into this week’s event.
He came into Deere Run needing 2.328 points to earn that status, which can be accomplished with a two-way T76 or better this week. Since only 69 players made the cut, he has guaranteed his Special Temporary Membership.
Kuest, though, is appreciative of the opportunity that has come from the game.
He is also thankful for the support he receives off the course, which includes his brother, Kyle, taking over his dad’s painting business in California.
“Yeah, I just have a good family and a lot of good friends,” said Kuest. “There's a lot of people supporting me, so it's nice to have that, you know, when I go home and just have a really good team behind me.”
He is sure that team will remain behind him and he continues to make a name for himself on Tour. He wasn't quite sure what the Special Temporary Membership was going to mean for his schedule, but was happy to have that option.
“We get to play on the PGA Tour, so it's a great opportunity,” he admitted. “Hopefully I'm playing the rest of the year.”
